Chrisman looks forward to Canandaigua town clerk tenure

With absentee ballots counted this week for the Nov. 5 election, Chrisman edged Conservative Jeannie Kesel for the Canandaigua Town Clerk position. The unofficial count — including absentee ballots — is 1,157 for Chrisman and 1,065 for Kesel, said Michael Northrup, the Republican commissioner at the Ontario County Board of Elections.

Northrup added that the board plans to have official results — in all races — around Nov. 20. By law, the Board of Elections has until Nov. 30, he added.

The position opened up due to the retirement of current Canandaigua clerk Judy Carson at the end of the year.

Chrisman has worked with the town since 1997. Currently, she is the town’s zoning officer.

“I’m very excited about it,” Chrisman said. “It’s a great opportunity to take my experience from the development office to town clerk.”

She added that she plans to provide public notary services, extend the hours of the clerk’s office — most likely on Wednesday or Saturday — and to improve transparency.

“I’ll work with the Town Board, make agendas more readily available, have more detailed minutes, and get information posted on the town website,” Chrisman said.

According to the town’s website, the clerk’s office maintains official records of ordinances, local laws, issues licenses and permits, is responsible for the town’s record management program and is an administrator of the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL).